


I See You

by SittingHereAlone (LittleSass)



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-02-01 21:05:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12712956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSass/pseuds/SittingHereAlone
Summary: Trini and Kim didn't officially meet at the mines. Before becoming rangers they had actually been dating in secret. Things didn't end well, yet now they are forced to work together with three other misfits to apparently save the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So, I am new to the fandom and decided to give fic writing a shot. Here is my first attempt at a Trimberly fic.

Naps were truly one of the best things in life. Trini was a firm believer of that fact. They’ve become such an important part of her daily schedule that she couldn’t even understand how she hated them when she was younger. 

Well, technically napping hadn't even been part of her schedule until more recently. Give or take a few weeks. 

Even though it’s been going on for a few weeks now, Trini was still getting used to waking up in Kimberly Hart’s bed with Kimberly Hart’s arms wrapped around her and Kimberly Hart’s breaths ghosting over her ear. 

If anyone ever asked, Trini would absolutely deny the fact that she loved being the little spoon. Being held was one of the best feelings in her mind. For those moments in someone else’s arms, she could relinquish all control. She could let her body relax, and if she’s lucky, her mind would shut off and allow her to enjoy the physical comfort of someone being there for her. 

Napping with Kim was one of Trini’s favorite activities. Above watching the stars on the mountain together and just below making out with the taller girl. 

With just the two of them in the room, Kim was always so gentle. When they’ve decided that they’ve done enough homework for the day, Kimberly would slide into bed, leaving an open spot for Trini to crawl into when she was ready. After Trini slipped into the bed, Kim would immediately pull her close and toss a leg over her body. If it was cold enough, she would pull the blanket over the both of them, making sure that Trini was tucked in nicely. 

And once settled, Trini was engulfed by a scent that was all Kim. There was the hint of mint from the gum she was chewing on her drive home from school. Mixed in was the lingering fragrance of the vanilla body spray she spritz over herself before leaving for school in the morning. And just under that there was the distinct smell that Trini couldn’t quite describe, but it was basically the true essence of Kimberly Hart. 

In just about every world that existed, this situation spelled all kinds of trouble. Head cheerleader with relative nobody was a story that only worked in the movies. But that wasn’t stopping Trini from falling into the cliche in hopes that she could win that famous happy end. Despite the stoic appearance she displays, Trini was a hopeless romantic at heart. That happy ending was always her end goal, and with her past experiences, she was starting to believe it was getting further and further away. Until she met Kim. 

Trini couldn’t even pinpoint when this all started. Well, she knew it all started with her and Kim being partnered up for a project in Biology, but she didn’t know when it became something more. Slowly and somewhat seemingly, their study dates became more routine, extending even after they had finished the project. 

It was during this time, that they began to open up to each other about things such as likes and dislikes, habits, etc. Kim nearly died of laughter when Trini told her the story of how four-year-old Trini was attacked by a bunch of ducks when she ran out of the food she was feeding them. And Trini offered her sympathy when Kim told her about her pet bunny that “ran away” when she was eight. 

There were playful jabs at each other’s taste in music. They argued over their favorite movies. Fought over what shows were the best to binge on Netflix. Together they complained about their teachers and the amount of homework they had. Kim talked about how gruesome cheerleading practice was, while Trini droned on about the last stupid thing her brothers had done. 

The first time they had kissed, it had been completely unexpected. They were working on their Biology project when Kim made some stupid pun about the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, which in turn led to Trini offhandedly calling her a dork. A cute dork, to be exact. And then completely out of nowhere, Kim had leaned in and kissed Trini. It was brief. Blink and one would have missed it. 

Despite her internal panic attack, Trini didn’t run. She wanted to, but she didn’t. She sat there, across from Kim, frozen, confused, and a bit scared. 

Carefully, Kim had slid her hand into Trini’s and explained how she liked spending time with her. That she liked Trini. She apologized for being impulsive and kissing Trini out of the blue, and then explained how the timing was probably wrong but she wouldn’t count it as a mistake. Apparently Kim had wanted to do that for awhile now, and in true Kim fashion, she acted before thinking. 

With all of that out in the air, Trini told Kimberly that she needed some time to think. Her brain told her to get out of there so it could process everything, but her body wasn’t ready to be away from Kim. So to her surprise, as well as Kim’s, she fell back onto Kim’s bed and stared up at the ceiling. They didn’t say anything, and eventually they had both drifted off to sleep. 

When they woke up, they were both in the same spots as before, but now their hands were intertwined. Neither knew if it was Kim who managed to slip her hand into Trini’s or if it was Trini whose hand had searched for Kim’s in the midst of their nap. It didn’t really matter because neither of them minded the action. And that was how they started taking naps together, sneaking in kisses here and there. 

Now, Trini was trying to figure out how to slip out of Kim’s arms without waking the other girl. Guessing by how dark the room was, she probably needed to get going if she wanted to get home for dinner on time. Lord knows her mom would totally lose her shit if Trini was late. 

As carefully as she could, Trini grabbed the arm around her and slowly lifted it up.

“I know you aren’t trying to leave,” the girl behind her grumbled, tightening her grip around the small Latina. Kim pulled Trini against her, kissing the back of the shorter girl’s neck before snuggling into her. 

“You know nothing,” Trini rolled her eyes as she continued on her mission of freeing herself. A part of her was telling her to stay. To revel in the warmth that Kimberly’s arms had to offer. However her mother’s fury was not something she was wanted to have to deal with today, so she continued to squirm with all her might, which was stronger than most would think. 

“Stop moving, I’m trying to sleep.”

Trini’s wiggling proved futile because Kim refused to let go. Cheerleading practices have left the older girl with a considerable amount of upper body strength. “Come on, Kim. You know I have to get home.”

“I know nothing,” Kim responded cheekily. 

Eventually Trini gave up and just relaxed back into Kimberly. “This doesn’t mean you’ve won.”

“Actually, I think it does,” Kim rose up just enough so she could lay a kiss on Trini’s cheek. “Can you just stay a little longer? I don’t want you to leave yet.”

The worst mistake Trini made in this situation was turning around, still trapped in Kim’s arms, and looking at the girl. Being the gay mess she was for Kimberly Hart, Trini agreed to stay, “Fine, but only for a little bit. I really do have to go.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Kim smiled victoriously. 

If anyone ever told Trini that her new school would lead to her making out with the head cheerleader, she would have told them to fuck off. She can admit that at each of her old school’s she definitely appreciated the assets the cheerleaders loved to display, but in the end they were all the same in her mind. Stuck up bitches who got whatever they wanted with daddy’s money. 

With Kim things were different. Sure, she got whatever she wanted because her family was well off and she could be mean at times, but to Trini, Kim wasn’t a bitch for the sake of being a bitch. She ruled the school with a cool confidence her fellow schoolmates respected.

Looking down at Trini, Kimberly sensed the girl's mind wasn't exactly where she wanted it to be. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” the tilt of Kim’s head told Trini that the girl above her didn’t not believe that. “I just...For the first time in what seems like a long time, I feel happy. Like actually happy. And it’s because of you.”

“You going soft on me, Gomez?”

“And with that, I take it all back.”

“Nope, no take backs,” Kimberly declared, leaning down to seal the declaration with a kiss. “For the record, I’m happy when I’m with you, too.”

...

When Trini showed up to school a few days later, she could tell something was going on the moment she stepped into the building. It had something to do with the group of cheerleaders waiting down the hall. It wasn’t common for them to be out and about like this so early in the morning. To some students, it didn’t seem too out of the ordinary, but Trini knew they had something to do with the bad feeling she was developing in the pit of her stomach. 

She did her best to go on her way without sparing them a glance. But ignoring the girls in skirts was a little harder to do now that she was aware of the fact that their eyes were tracking her every move. It made her more uncomfortable than she cared to admit. With her fly on the wall approach in full effect since she started at this school, she was not used to so many people watching her outside of having to present in class. 

Although she hated the intense stares coming from the other side of the hall, Trini did her best to shut them out long enough to get to her locker. She only let her mind focus on putting in her combination and getting her books.  Her hand spun the dial to the right first.  _ 17 _ . Then to the left.  _ 5 _ . And again to the right.  _ 20 _ . After spinning to the last number, her hand went to the handle, but something felt off. For some reason, she was getting a bad feeling about this. She turned to head back to the group of cheerleaders watching her, challenging her. Not one to back down from a challenge, she went ahead and opened it.

_ Pop! Pop! Splash! _

Trini could only stand there in shock as the cold water of the now popped water balloons seeped into her clothes. Carefully she wiped the water from her face and opened her eyes just to have them drawn to a note taped to the inside of her locker. 

Hesitantly, Trini reached in to pluck the piece of paper off the, bringing it closer for her to read. 

_ Know your place and stay away from Kim. Wouldn’t want your little secret getting out now would we? _

Those words cause her heart to fall into her stomach. This couldn’t be happening. Not here. Not now.

The crinkling of the paper as it was crushed into her fist was the first thing she heard before the world around her came rushing in. Suddenly, she was able to register the amount of laughter circulating the halls. Every single one of them directed at her. The sound reverberated in her ears, and all she wanted to do was disappear into thin air. She quickly shut her locker and turned her attention to the cheerleaders who she knew had to be behind this.

Trying her best to keep her resolve in front of everyone, Trini turned and started marching down the hall. Her feet stopped where the laughter rang the loudest. Right in front of the cheerleaders with Kim standing front and center. 

Her teeth were clenched as she made eye contact with each girl, almost snarling at them. The group of five challenged her with a smirk, none perfected more than the one in the middle, the one that had Trini’s stomach twisting in knots.

“Looks like someone’s a little wet,” the girl to the right of Kim said, inducing laughter from those around her. Trini glared at Rebecca, and she had never wanted to slap the smirk off of anyone as much as she did at that moment. But the staredown didn’t stop the snickering around her, one of them sticking out to her. She turned towards the familiar sound with her eyes narrowed, as if she was trying to solve a difficult puzzle. 

The laughter from the head cheerleader was forced, that much Trini could tell, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. She wasn’t expecting Kim to step forward and offer her a hand or to tell everyone to mind their own business, but she was expecting some form of compassion. The apology written in cheerleader’s eyes just wasn’t enough for Trini. The guilty pleas for forgiveness were nulled by the facade she was putting on for everyone else.

Not being able to take the rollercoaster of emotions she was feeling anymore, Trini tore her eyes away from the girls and fled from the scene. She didn’t care about being late to her first class of the day. All she wanted to do was to clear away any evidence of the predicament she was in, and that started with getting out of her wet clothes.

In the other hallways, people barely spared her a second glance. They took note of her current state and then went on with their business. Honestly, the fact that there were people not laughing at her expense astounded her. At her other schools, no one really cared enough to hide their sniggers at someone else’s misfortunes. It gave her a small sense of hope that everything would blow over by lunchtime or by the end of the week at the very latest. 

After finally arriving at the gym, Trini tossed her backpack to the floor while she fished out something to wear. With her being the only person in the locker room, Trini was able to change freely and comfortably. She wasn’t fond of the bright baby blue of the PE shirt she was going to be wearing for the rest of the day, but it was the only thing she had dry. 

Once her new shirt was situated over her body and the wet one carelessly thrown into her locker, she took a seat on the bench resting in the middle of the aisle. Since there were still a few minutes before the first bell telling people to get to class, Trini was able to soak in the silence of the locker room. Her head fell into her hands as all of her emotions came flooding in.  _ Hurt. Anger. Betrayal _ . Against her will, a few tears started to trickle down her face. 

Her mind kept going back to the note on the inside of her locker. Her brain was running in overdrive as she tried to process everything.  _ They knew _ . She didn’t know how many  _ they _ entailed, but all that mattered was that someone found out. Up until now, Trini had managed to travel under the radar. No one cared who she was or what she did. Hell, she was pretty sure most of them didn’t even know her name.

But somehow they knew. It wasn’t like Trini was trying to hide it, but she also wasn’t openly displaying her sexuality. With how little attention they even paid to her, she was surprised they even noticed. That still didn’t explain why she was suddenly the object of the cheerleader’s attack. 

In less than a second, Trini was up and her fist was repeatedly smashing her locker door. Each pound of her fist coincided with a face. A face of a cheerleader who had laughed in her face moments before. The loud bangs barely managed to drown out the haunting cackles replaying in her head. 

When Kim’s face flashed in her mind, Trini’s hand froze midair. She was feeling conflicted. Her arm hadn’t relaxed, signaling a part of her was harnessing some anger towards the other girl, but the fact that it didn’t slam against the cold metal in front of her also meant something. Instead of her fist making contact with the locker door, it was her forehead. She rested it there until she registered the shrill ringing of the bell, signaling everyone to get to class. 

That was Trini’s cue to get up and gather herself. She walked over to the sink to splash some water onto her face, washing away any trace of her minor breakdown. When she looked up, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Three days ago, she could remember the smile on her face, the gleam in her eyes, the glow around her because she was happy. But now, looking back at her was the same girl she had gotten to know over the years. The one miserable and uncomfortable in her own skin. The one who willed the days to pass by quicker so she could escape to a new world. The one who wished she could be anywhere else but here. 

...

The long day of school really took a toll on Trini, yet she still wasn’t ready to go home. Instead, she decided to walk aimlessly around the town that was supposed to be her new home. In spite of her parents promise that this will be the last move, Trini refused to make connections with anyone, much like what she did in the other cities she used to live in. Her parents had told her that they were going to try to set up roots here, but that didn’t stop Trini from keeping to herself. In her mind, another move was inevitable so there would be no point in trying to make any connections with anyone. 

Even though she didn’t know most of the faces around her and most of them wouldn’t try to talk to her anyways, she was still over being around people. Trini quickly decided to stop by the Krispy Kreme to grab a doughnut before heading over to the mines. 

The closer she got to the hill she visited to do her yoga, the more at ease she started to feel. She took a seat and allowed the heavy metal to blast from her headphones, drowning out the world she was trying to leave behind. 

She closed her eyes as she started to think about everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours. She was in uncharted territory. Never had she dated a cheerleader, hell she barely held a serious relationship due to her constant moving. And though she was no stranger to bullying, this was different. 

Back at her old schools, bullies were those people who always saw themselves as better than her. Who saw her as an inferior whether it be for her height, her ethnicity, her status as the new kid, or even her sexuality. Besides their name and the tier in which they fell in the school’s hierarchy, Trini knew little to nothing about them. But here, in Angel Grove, when she looked into the faces of her oppressors, she saw a girl who she thought she had connected with. One she that thought had come to care for her, but now Trini wasn’t so sure. 

It couldn’t have been more than an hour or so before she felt someone carefully plucking her headphones off her head. Her head whipped towards the offender, intending to fix them with her signature glare, but when she saw Kim standing there, her eyes softened. But only a fraction.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Well, you’ve found me,” Trini held her hand out, silently asking Kim to return her headphones. After storing them in her backpack, she turned towards the landscape in front of her. She didn’t invite the other girl to sit, but she also didn’t tell her to leave. 

Kim took a seat next to Trini, leaving a considerable amount of space between them. The tense air between them was making Kim feel a bit on edge, evident in the way that she kept shifting around and rubbing her hands. Her eyes kept falling to the vacant space between her and the girl next to her. She desperately wanted to scootch over and wrap an arm around Trini’s shoulders, but even she knew this wasn’t the time. 

So, they continued to sit in silence. No one dared to say a word. Trini still playing out scenarios in her head of what ifs, while Kim just really didn’t know where to start. 

It was obvious to Trini that the older girl wasn’t going to start the conversation, so she bit the bullet and made the first move. “Why are you here, Kim?”

Kim shifted around awkwardly, not knowing where the boundaries were, considering Trini had been avoiding her all day. “You didn’t show up for our nap, and I couldn’t fall asleep without you.  And when I texted, you never responded.”

“I thought I was supposed to stay away from you,” Trini said, referencing the note she had received in her locker earlier this morning.

Kim’s face fell at the words. She took a chance and placed her hand on Trini’s and inwardly cheered when she didn’t pull away. “I’m  _ so _ sorry about that, Trini.”

“You know, there’s something I’ve been trying to understand. I’ve been thinking about it all damn day and still can’t find an answer. How the fuck did they find out I was gay?” Trini turned to Kim, her eyes demanding answers that have been evading her and slowly driving her crazy. She could only come up with so many conclusions and most them were riddled with holes. “They never paid any attention to me before.”

“They’ve taken an interest.”

“But why?” The way that Kim was looking everywhere but at her was scaring Trini. “Kim?”

The older girl sighed before revealing the actions that led to this morning's event. “The other day, when I was at the mall, Rebecca noticed your name when I was texting you and then Amanda got involved. At first, they were confused and judgmental. They started questioning me and demanding an explanation as to why I was talking to you.”

“What did you say?”

“I told them you were just tutoring me in biology. Then they just started talking about you and asking questions and I don’t know they just came to the conclusion.”

Something was telling Trini that Kim was leaving something out, but she was too afraid to ask. There were only so revelations she could take in one day. Minutes ticked by without Kimberly offering any more information or Trini asking for any. 

“Today you stood there and you laughed in my face.” Trini whispered, her arms going around to hug her knees to her chest. 

Kim’s mouth opened and shut a few times as she tried to come up with a proper explanation. Each time she seemed closer to saying something, she shut up again. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Kim said earnestly. Her eyes gave away how much guilt she was harboring for being a part of today's disaster. 

“Then why did you do it? Why didn’t you stop it from happening or at least warn me?”

“I didn’t want to do it,” Kim stated, trying to make Trini believe her, “but Amanda and Rebecca pressured me into it. They were starting to catch on that maybe you and I were a thing, and I started to panic. I didn't want them to know, so I went along with it.”

“Self-preservation,” Trini concluded. She tilted her head to the sky so gravity could help will the tears back. “How many people know?”

“Just Rebecca and Amanda, I promise. Your secret is still safe, Trini.”

“It’s anything but safe!” Trini jumped up from her seat so she was now towering over Kimberly, hoping this change in position would help get the concept through to the girl below her. “Now, Rebecca and Amanda have a little get out of jail free card. They can hang my secret over my head for as long as they want!”

Trini’s outburst had shocked Kim into silence. 

“I don’t think this is going to work out anymore,” Trini stated, her heart clenching as she uttered the words. 

“What do you mean?”

Trini let out a slow breath. It was getting harder for her to stop the tears from escaping her eyes, but she didn’t want to let Kim know how much this hurt her to do it. “I think we should end whatever this is.”

“Trini...” Kimberly took Trini’s hands in hers. “I know I messed up. I should have done something, anything to stop it, but I really really like you. Please, I don’t want this to be over.” 

“I just don’t know if I can trust you, Kim. I’ve been bullied before, and sometimes I still see those people in my head,” Trini admitted. “And now, as much as I hate it, you’ve been added to that list. Real or not, you were standing there laughing at my expense, in a hall full of people, with girls who wanted to hurt me standing right next to you.” 

“And I’m so sorry for that. I would take it back if I could. You know that’s not me.”

“No, Kim, I don’t know that," Trini said, keeping Kim at arm's length. "I thought I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to this. I thought you were different from all those other cheerleaders. But deep down, you’re just like them.”

“I’m not!” Kim argued, her voice cracking as she fought back her own tears. 

Trini scoffed, “The only thing those girls care about is what others think of them. And that’s all you care about too.”

“That’s not true!” 

“Isn’t it?” 

“I care about you,” Kim countered, a lone tear slipping down her cheek. She tried to brush it away discreetly, but Trini saw it, which made all of this so much harder.

A heavy sigh escaped past Trini’s lips. This wasn’t going anywhere and she was tired of everything. Things were supposed to be simple. She was supposed to stay out of people’s way, out of people’s business, and graduate without attracting any attention. But then, of course, Kimberly Hart just had to walk into her life. 

“I think there’s a difference between keeping this a secret and being someone’s dirty little secret,” Trini started off saying, her back still turned to the older girl. With a deep breath in, Trini gathered as much courage as she could. There was no more hiding. It had to be said and done. She turned to face Kim, her eyes locking onto sad, brown ones. “I don’t want to be your dirty little secret, Kim.”

“You’re not,” Kimberly vehemently denied, rushing over to close the distance between them. It was impossible to hide the hurt on her face when Trini took a few steps back. “I meant it when I said I’m happy when I’m with you. Please, Trini, don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry. I just, I can’t. I’ve got to go,” Trini fought the urge to turn back as she ran.

The tears she was holding back were blurring her vision, but she kept running. She didn’t know if Kim was going to run after her or not, but in the case she did, Trini did not want to get caught. A part of her knew that if Kim caught up to her and asked her to give them another chance, she would. All it would take would be for one more  _ please _ to fall from the lips she had kissed many times before. 

As much as this sucked, Trini really believed it was going to be for the best. At least she hoped it would.

...

One week later, despite Kim’s pleas for Trini to rethink things, to not break them up, the cheerleader had confirmed everything Trini had said about her concern for social standing.

With her cheerleader friends flanking her, Kimberly Hart made her way down the halls with her head held high and a boy on her arm. 

Ty Fleming. 

Her new boyfriend.  

When they walked by, Trini didn’t even bother to look up. It was a sight she knew too well. It happened at every school she went to. 

Although she was the one to end things, it still hurt to see Kim with someone else. And with it happening so soon after they broke up, Trini started to wonder if she had even meant anything to Kim. If those cries on the hilltop were fake or not. 

Each question led Trini to one thought. She was disappointed in herself. She wished she hadn’t made the mistake of falling for the pretty cheerleader. There’s only one way that story could ever end for someone like her. Heartbreak.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The discovery of the coins and the Power Rangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while since I posted the first chapter. I just want to say thank you so much for everything! I wasn't really sure the kind of response I was going to get, but it's been amazing so far. I didn't expect that many people to read my work, let alone actually like it. Hopefully, you still like it after this chapter. I'm sorry if some of the scenes seem a bit choppy. I'll try to fix that for the next chapter, but I did my best here and knew that if I didn't post now, I probably wouldn't post it for a long ass time.

Saturdays provided Trini with an escape from the world she was imprisoned in during the week. Occasionally, she would sit with her parents on the sidelines as they watched her brothers running around on a soccer field, showing off their athletic abilities. When those games were a little further away from home, she chose to hang back to avoid being trapped in a car with her family longer than necessary. The last thing she wanted was to be locked in a space where her mother could grill her endlessly.

This week happened to be one where the Gomez family would  be traveling without her. Her parents and brothers had left after a light lunch for their late afternoon game. The boys had been bouncing around in their navy blue colored jerseys with yellow trimmings almost all day. When it was time to leave, they refused to walk out the door without their lucky fist bump from their sister, a small yet meaningful tradition Trini had started with them since their first time stepping onto the soccer field. 

As soon as they were gone, Trini went about stuffing her backpack with a few snacks, her headphones, and a water bottle. Although a empty house could serve as a sanctuary, Trini preferred her little hill by the mines. On her way out, she made sure she had her phone, her keys, and her beanie. 

Her headphones covered her ears as she went her way down the roads of Angel Grove. If she was being honest, the place was slowly growing on her. It was a small town, like the ones they showed in movies, everyone was in each other’s business, all of them up to date in the town’s latest gossip. Everyone knew everyone, yet somehow she was still able to fly under everyone’s radars. And she loved that. 

She made it past the gates, meant to keep people out, and to her little haven. She carefully set her bag done and looked out to the large expanse of land in front of her. The machines ruined the beauty of it, but beyond that there was a small river with a range of hills behind it. 

The music blasting from her headphones a sharp contrast to the peaceful nature around her. It brought a sense of balance to her that allowed her to relax. After a few deep breaths, she began her routine of yoga positions. 

After going through her normal stretches, Trini sat back, taking in the pleasantries of the soft sounds of nature playing around her as the sun began to set, showcasing an array of vibrant pink, yellow, and orange. It would be dark soon, and she should be heading back home, but she wanted to revel in her bubble of peace for a little longer. 

_ KABOOM! _

“What the fuck?” Trini muttered to herself.

Her head snapped to where she thought the sound was coming from. A quick check to the train car showed that the Asian boy who camped out there was also nowhere to be seen. No doubt he had gone to investigate or if he had caused it himself. Against her better judgement, Trini went to find out who the hell thought it was a great idea to blow up some rocks because whoever they were, they were about to give her away. 

When she got there, she wasn’t really expecting to find three other Angel Grove students, well four if you counted Zack Taylor, who she’s not sure still counted as a student seeing as he rarely showed up to school. The only reason Trini even knew of the guy was because they shared two classes together, History and English. He had been there the first day and then sporadically showed up from there.

She’d be a fool to not know who Jason Scott was. It’s hard not to know who the star football player of the school was. They never had any interactions, but from what Trini could pick up, he wasn’t a bad guy. He wasn’t a bully who preyed on the kids who didn’t have the athletic capabilities to make high school royalty. Blowing out his knee and getting kicked off the football team definitely wasn’t well received by the rest of the school, but Trini didn’t hate him for that.

It was hard for her to not know who Billy Cranston was. He was one of the smartest kids in school. He could probably get into any school he wanted to go to. Again, she hadn’t really talked to him before, but what she did know was that he didn’t deserve any of the bullying. He was a good kid with a good heart. 

And of course there was Kim. She knew Kim. Oh how she knew Kimberly Hart. There’s been absolutely no contact between the two since their breakup. That’s not to say that Trini hadn’t been secretly keeping tabs on the girl. With her popularity it actually would have been harder not to be up to date with Kimberly’s life. 

Trini had heard about Kim punching Ty Fleming’s tooth out. She mentally clapped in her mind when she had heard the two girls in front of her in History talk about it. She’s not sure what happened, but she felt like the guy might have deserved it. And if Kim didn’t punch him for good reason, then him being a jerk should be reason enough.

From where she was standing, Trini could tell there was something different about Kim, even if the dark made it hard to pinpoint exactly what it was. It took her awhile, but she finally concluded that the girl had done something to her hair. Staring at the back of the older girl’s head in Biology gave Trini a good idea of what the long locks looked like as they cascaded past her shoulders and down her back. But now, it was shorter than she remembered it. A bob that ended just shy of her shoulders. As much as Trini hated to admit, Kim looked good. 

Her mind was brought back to the scene in front of her as she continued to hear the boys pushing and arguing. She couldn’t figure out what they were fighting about, but she could only guess it had to do with the explosion. 

“HEY!” Trini shouted, garnering the attention of the arguing teens below her. “You guys looking to get busted or something? This place is a restricted area!” 

“Oh really, Einstein. Restricted? As in we shouldn’t be standing on a crazy rock doing karate kid moves, right?” The tall Asian boy yelled back. “Yeah, I see you.”

“Yeah, or camping out on old trains. I see you, too, homeboy,” Trini countered. 

She wasn’t going to judge him for being in a place where they shouldn’t be, not when she was doing the same thing. But she was going to judge him, if he had anything to do with the loud bang that could have easily notified any guards. Even though they were already breaking the rules, there’s one unspoken rule that everyone was supposed to follow. 

_ Don’t get caught _ . 

“There’s a lot of mine security out tonight,” Trini warned them. Of all nights to blow stuff up, tonight was not the night.

Trini heard Billy’s warning a second too late. Before she knew it, the ground beneath her began to shake. There was no time for her to move as the ground gave way, and she was falling amongst a horde of rocks and dust. It’s a surprise she wasn’t crushed by anything, but could already begin to feel the bruises forming on the side of her body. 

The dust eventually settled and the five of them were left staring at some glass-like structure. Out of curiosity, they ran their hands across the rock, not knowing what to make of it. 

Behind the crystalline wall of rock was something shiny. Enough to garner Zack’s attention as he grabbed a nearby pick and started hacking at the wall, despite the amount of protests coming from his peers. 

They gawked at the weird colored coins that Zack had managed to free from the rock structure, wondering what was in their hand. As if drawn to something, Trini reached down, picking up the glowing rock now reflecting a yellowish glow. The boys were just about to get into some other argument when Kim stopped them. 

“Guys, guys. Do you hear that?” Kim asked. 

They all listened intently until they were able to detect the sound of a distant alarm going off. 

“Mine security.”

“Someone should have pointed that out. Wait, I did,” Trini reminded them snarkily. 

All at once, they scattered, running in all different directions. 

It didn’t take Trini long to realize she was being followed, and a quick look behind her confirmed that fact. Surprisingly, Kim was the one running after her, something the girl hadn’t done the day Trini had decided it was time to end things. 

Despite being followed, Trini kept running, not slowly down in the slightest. If she got caught, there was no way of knowing what her mother would do to her. And she was really excited to find out. Eventually Kim caught up to her, even passing her, which Trini shouldn’t have been to surprised about. The cheerleading coach did have her girls running a mile every other morning before practice. 

As they continued to run away from the cops, Kim pointed in some obscure direction, leading Trini to believe the girl had spotted a place for them to hide or something. Honestly it didn’t matter where the ex-cheerleader was taking her, Trini just wanted to get out of here.

She followed the older girl to a van she could only guess belonged to one of the others, which was confirmed when Jason Scott popped his head out the door. With a better chance of escaping in front of them, they both picked up the pace, reaching for Jason’s outstretched arms so he could pull them in. 

Trini watched as Kim was pulled in first, her short legs pumping as hard as they could to keep up with the moving van. When Jason, popped back out for her, she took that extra leap to grab onto his arm. 

The momentum of the moving car and Jason pulling her small body in, she landed on the boy’s chest, and when she looked up she came face to face with Kim, who was more or less shocked to see her. Trini caught herself staring longer than appropriate and quickly picked herself off Jason, offering a quick ‘thanks’ as they all sat up from their positions on the floor. 

“What about the other guy?” Billy asked from the behind the wheel. He looked seriously distressed about the missing boy, but they all knew that if they stopped to worry about Zack too long they’d all be doomed. 

“Just go!” The three in the back shouted. 

Trini was hardly listening as Jason praised Billy and told him where he should go because all her mind could focus on was the lights shining in the exact same direction they were heading.

“Guys, guys! There’s a train,” Trini told them, climbing over Jason to get into the front seat. 

Like the others, Trini let out a small scream when the van shook from weight overhead. They were all surprised to see the boy from earlier hanging off the side, asking to be let in. 

One glance to the right showed the train, and its horns were screaming at Trini. 

She turned to Billy with a frightened look on her face. “Yo, it’s catching up.”

Jason encouraged Billy to keep going, which led to Billy slamming his foot on the gas, hoping to pick up enough speed to beat the train.

Trini’s shut her eyes praying, “I hope he has it.”

Hearing Kimberly mutter, “He definitely doesn’t have it,” wasn’t helping in the slightest, but Trini couldn’t help but stop to think about her family. Especially her brothers who usually came bounding into the house after a game, win or loss, just to tell Trini what happened and how well they did. 

_ BAM! _

The moment of impact was harsh and sudden. The van started to roll as they were all being tossed around in the small vehicle. Their screams could barely be heard. The sound of crushing metal and cracking glass all around them. 

Trini barely registered a flash of yellow flying across her eyes…and then all was dark. 

...

She woke with a start to the sound of knocking on her door. 

“Trini, get up! You’re going to be late for school!” Her mother yelled from the other side. 

“Okay, Mom,” Trini shouted back, quickly sitting up in bed. 

_ School?  _

Trini quickly reached for her phone from its place on her bedside table. Looking at the date confirmed she had just slept through a whole day. She ran her hand through her hair as she tried to process what could have happened in the last 48 hours and why she couldn’t remember anything. 

She turned her head back and forth, taking in her room. It was the same as it has always been, but she still couldn’t figure out how she had gotten back. The last thing she remembered was being in a van with four other kids and crashing into a train.

_ I should be dead right now,  _ she thought as she got out of bed. 

Her hands went to various parts of her body, double checking for any injuries. She couldn’t believe it when she found nothing. No cuts, no bruises, nothing. 

“How the hell?” She asked herself. She turned around a few times like a puppy chasing after its own tail as she searched for any sort of sign that the crash was real and it wasn’t all some crazy dream she had come up with. That was when she noticed the yellow glow coming from her desk. 

Carefully, she tiptoed over and picked up the coin she had seen the other night. She couldn’t explain it, but even just holding the coin made her feel strong. It scared it and was completely strange, but she didn’t hate it. However, she knew that she needed to get rid of it to make it all go away. 

Knowing that she had to be ready and out of the house soon to keep her mom’s mind at ease of going to class, Trini decided she needed to at least get ready as if she was planning on going to school. Her hand found the doorknob, but the second she heard her mother’s footsteps coming back, she froze where she was. There was another knock on the door. 

“Trini! I’m serious! You won’t have time for breakfast at this point,” June called from behind the wooden barrier between her and her daughter. Although her parents usually respected her space enough to wait for her to open the door or her call for them to come in, she wouldn’t put it past her mother to burst into her room. It happened before and it could happen again. 

“I’m up, Mom. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be out the door,” Trini answered. 

“Okay,” June relented. “I have to take the boys to school now, but there’s a banana a piece of toast with butter and jelly for you on the counter.”

Trini was able to breathe easy again when she heard her mom head back downstairs. She counted to ten in her head just to be sure that the coast was clear before opening the door. Carefully, Trini swung the door open, checking both ways before pulling it open further. 

It wasn’t until her hand was off the doorknob that she realized its crushed state. She was horrified to see the state of the metal crushed the way it was. But what really scared her was the fact that she didn’t realize she had done it. She had done it so easily and seamlessly that she didn’t even process the action. 

With everything that happened, Trini didn’t even consider going to school. There was just too much on her mind and being cooped up in a classroom wouldn’t help anyone, especially her. She’d probably break a desk or locker or something like that. And the last thing she wanted to do was answer questions she didn’t have the right answers to. 

So, she skipped school and went straight to the mines. Maybe if she brought the coin back to where she found it, her life would go back to normal. On her way, she passed by the crash site where the demolished van and cops were currently stationed, trying to make sense of what could have happened. 

Trini made sure to stay hidden as she walked on by. She did not want to get reeled into that mess. 

As soon as she saw the boy from last night hacking away at the rock, she backed away slowly to go undetected. She didn’t want to be involved in this and she definitely did not want anything to do with those kids from the other night, especially not Kim. Her sanity depended on it. 

While she waited for Zack to hopefully lose faith in finding anything else and move on, Trini decided to head over to her little sanctuary. She figured since she had nothing to do while she waited for the quarry to clear up, she’d test out some of these powers she now supposedly had. Might as well enjoy them, especially if returning the yellow coin meant that things would go back to normal.

She knelt down to find a good size rock, a bit smaller than the size of her palm, and chucked it across the field, her eyes widening at how far she was able to throw it. It went almost three times further than any rock she had ever thrown before. 

Impressed by her newfound strength, she wanted to test it further. She looked to a boulder she used as a chair on multiple occasions. It looked sturdy, never shook nor wobbled when she sat on it. Trini put one hand a gave it a small shove, but it didn’t move, most likely a part packed in by the dirt surrounding its lower end. Not ready to give up, Trini placed both hands under a small ridge she found near the base of the boulder. After the count of three, she lifted the boulder, unearthing it from the ground and flipping it onto its side. 

She knew she was stronger. That much was evident from the now broken doorknob, which she mentally reminded herself she would need to replace before her parents found out, but she didn’t think it was by much. 

Now that she thought about, her newfound strength was the only thing. Her jog over took her almost half the time it usually did, which could only mean she was faster and more agile as well. 

As much as it scared her to not really know what was going on with her body, Trini also couldn’t help the exhilaration having these new abilities. Somehow she felt like a new person, and she didn’t hate it. 

After a few hours of playing around, Trini decided to try returning her coin again. And again, Zack was still there, hacking away. She didn’t know what he expected to find, and she wasn’t really interested in finding out. With another failed attempt, she left, but didn’t know that Zack had caught sight of her as she walked away. 

Trini let another hour pass by as she aimlessly walked around the hills and mountains before giving the quarry another shot. She made her way back to where she found the mysterious glowing rock that now resided in her jacket pocket. No matter how hard, she tried, she didn’t seem to be able to get rid of the thing. 

“HEY! Come on down, we should figure this out together!” Jason shouted across the way. 

_ Stay away from them _ , she reminded herself.  

And so she did what she was good at. 

She ran. 

Trini turned towards the rock wall behind her and started climbing. Only confident she could do it because of the practice she had hours before. And luckily, it gave her a head start because everyone watched her with awe for the few seconds she needed to make her getaway. 

The one thing she hadn’t imagined was Kim being hot on her heels, yet again, so quickly. But that didn’t stop her from trying to escape. 

“STOP!” The girl screamed at her. 

Trini’s feet skidded to a halt when she reached the ends of a cliff. She couldn’t help but glare at the cliff now hindering her escape.

With no other choice, Trini turned to the girl who had followed her up the mountain. Now in broad daylight, Trini could fully take in the girl she had secretly dated. Just as she thought last night, Kim still looked good, and it annoyed Trini to no end. 

“Just talk to me,” Kim pleaded. With a huff, Trini took a few steps away from the edge, which also meant a few steps towards the cheerleader, who was now joined by the three boys. “You have a coin, we have a coin. We should just talk about this. I mean-”

Talking wasn’t high on Trini’s list of things to do. After turning towards the large canyon and calculating the gap, she made a rash decision. Trini turned on her heels and started sprinting in an attempt to gain some momentum. At the last second, she launched herself across the gulf, effectively tuning out any other words that were left falling from Kimberly’s mouth. 

For once she felt free, the wind in her hair, the carelessness of the action. There was a moment of panic, where she worried she wouldn’t make it to the other side, but that was quickly replaced by the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. She usually wasn’t so careless, but now she partly understood what those thrill seekers felt when they jumped out of a plane. 

Her landing could use some work but why pay for ripped jeans if she could naturally rip them by jumping across a cliff.

With a large gap now between her and the other four, Trini felt a bit better. She really hoped that they wouldn’t follow her, but as soon as she heard Zack yelling across the crevice, she knew it was pointless to hope. She could have just gone and probably lost them, but to be honest, she was a little curious. 

_ Did they really have the guts to try it? _

She turned just in time to see the tall Asian boy leap across the gulf. His limbs flailing about before he crashed into her, knocking them both to the ground. 

“I got her,” he grabbed her leg when she got up to leave and she annoyingly and forcibly shook his hand off. 

“Get off of me.”

Zack was quickly followed by the would-be power couple of Angel Grove. She’s not sure why she stayed, but she grabbed a seat on a nearby rock, checking her knee, which was now aching a bit from the way she landed. 

It didn’t take long after Zack for Kim and Jason to take the leap. 

_ Of course they had to jump together _ , Trini thought bitterly.  __

And of course when Kimberly landed, it was with much more grace than everyone else. Especially Jason, who Trini couldn’t help but chuckle at. The dude had blood dripping from his mouth because his face literally bounced off the ground.

Now that the four of them were on one side, the others tried persuading Billy to join them. Trini sat back quietly as the three other teenagers encouraged the boy. She’s pretty sure that this should count as peer pressure, especially since she could see Billy arguing with himself hundreds of feet away. Personally, she didn’t think he would do it. Billy was too smart to make a dumb move like them. 

But boy was she wrong. 

She shot up to her feet when she saw Billy flying across. They all stared in awe as the boy made his way over. He crashed into the side of the cliff, which looked and sounded like it hurt. But Billy seemed to be unfazed as he clung to the rocks to avoid falling. 

She couldn’t help the small, proud smile forming across her face as Billy pulled himself up. He was so proud of himself he was doing a little dance. He really was a good kid. 

However, when his short-lived victory dance caused him to slip and fall into the gorge, everyone panicked. Trini and the others immediately ran to the edge to check on him. 

“Billy! Billy!” Jason called out. They waited for a response. Every second that went by scared them shitless. “Billy!”

“Did we just kill that dude?” Zack asked. 

It wasn’t until the words were said aloud, that the reality hit Trini. These powers allowed them to do things they could only ever dream of. It was supposed to be all fun and games. But now, Billy could possibly be dead.

_ This is my fault. _

The others only jumped because they were chasing after her, and now Billy could be dead. And it was all her fault. 

Trini frantically paced back and forth, away from the others, as they continued to look over the edge for any sign of Billy. When Billy called up to them, they all let out a collective sigh of relief. He was safe. 

Zack and Jason jumped off the cliff to join Billy, and Trini couldn’t help but peak over the edge to watch them. It looked fun, she was even tempted to follow, but once Kimberly turned to look at her, her stone cold, neutral face returned. 

Even when Kim smiled at her, Trini had to fight back. So before she did something stupid, she turned and prepared to leave. 

“This whole thing is insane, right? It’s crazy.”

Annoyed, Trini turned back to Kim, “Yeah.”

“I can’t really believe this is happening. Like what were the odds of all five us of being at the mines the other day,” Kim said, hoping to keep the conversation going, no matter how uncomfortable it seemed to make them. 

“Did you want something, Kim?” Trini asked, getting straight to the point, not sure where Kim was going with this conversation.

Kimberly shrugged. It was obvious to the both of them that neither really knew how to act in this situation. It’s the first time, they’ve actually had a conversation with each other since the break up. It was awkward beyond belief. 

Trini couldn’t stand the awkwardness anymore, so she pulled her coin out of her pocket, showing it to Kim. 

“I figured if I brought it back up here, all of this would go away. I don’t know what’s going on. And I don’t want to know,” Trini declared, stepping away ready to leave once again. She’s barely taken a step before she’s turning back around, wanting to get in one more dig. “I’m doing alright, by the way. Not that you’d care.”

“Trini!” Kim called out, desperately trying to get the other girl to stay. “Hey, could I...could I get a sip of your water? I’m dying.”

It was a simple request. Something Trini easily should have been able to say no to, but somehow she couldn’t. Slightly angry with herself, Trini reached back to grab her water bottle from its sleeve, and walked over to the girl who she had been trying to avoid. 

“Okay. Just don’t finish it,” Trini warned the girl, handing over the bottle. 

“Thanks. And I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Trini asked skeptically. As far as she knew, Kim could be potentially apologizing for anything. Her part in Amanda’s little prank. Not trying harder. Not fighting for her. Not running after her. 

Before she could think more about it, Kim’s arms reached towards her and were pulling her over the cliff. Trini’s hand went to grab something to steady herself somewhat and had to rely on Kim’s elbow, seeing as there was nothing else to hold onto as they were free falling down a mountainside. 

During their fall, they managed to separate, their screams filling the cavern as they splashed into the water below. 

“Welcome to the club,” Zack announced when they both resurfaced. Despite her reservations of jumping, Trini smiled at the feeling of the cool water and the fleeting feeling of that rush she had felt earlier. 

While treading water, the water around them started to glow. They were each surrounded by the glow of whatever color coin they had picked up before. 

“Hey guys, there’s something down there. Follow me,” Billy instructed, diving down once again. 

Trini is the last above water. She rolls her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she was taking part in this. Eventually with no idea on how to get out of the cave, Trini had no other choice than to follow the group. 

Somehow, swimming down had led to them resurfacing on the other side of the same body of water they had dived into before. It didn’t make any sense. 

And then suddenly, as if gravity was placed back in order, they were all falling from the upside down pool. 

Trini reached for Zack, to have something to break her fall. They ended up tumbling over one another, Trini landing on top of the tall boy.

“Hi,” Zack said, a little too flirtatious for Trini’s liking. 

She shoved him away quickly. She dusted herself off as the others began searching for some sound they heard. Trini mainly stuck to herself, more in awe of where they were than she was interested in finding whatever the others were looking for. 

Eventually they came across some kind of gigantic metal spaceship. Drawn to the mysterious hunk of junk, they inched closer. When they reached what looks like could be an opening, Jason pulled his coin out of his pocket. It was glowing again. 

Next thing they knew, the door to the strange spaceship thing opened. They hesitantly made their way inside. 

As they all went their separate ways to explore what they couldn’t comprehend. 

“I’m sorry,” Trini jumped at the sound of Kim’s voice, sending the girl a glare which showed how little she appreciated being snuck up on. “Sorry,” Kim quickly apologized again. “You, uh, you wanna kill me, right?” No answer. “That’s a yes?” Again, no answer, and Trini walked away, while Kim called after her, “Okay, good talk.”

Without Kim talking in her ear, Trini continued to look for an escape. She came up empty and didn’t want to be involved with this any longer than she had to. 

“Hey, we’ve all seen enough of this. Right? We should go now,” Trini said, trying to be the voice of reason. 

She was apprehensive before, but this was getting crazy. She wanted out. They had no idea where they were or what they were doing. For all she knew, they could have stumbled upon some illegal government ship or something. 

Zack’s exclamation of possibly striking it rich, seemed to have woken something because all of sudden all the cogs and gears in the ship were shifting and there only known way of exit disappeared. 

In a panic, they ran to find a place to hide. They all waited with bated breath for something to happen because there was no way that all that noise means nothing. 

All of a sudden, something wrapped itself around Trini’s leg and was pulling her back to where they had first entered. She screamed for her life, scared out of her mind, as she was being dragged across the floor, against her own will. 

The next thing she knew, there was some kind of robot standing in front of her, its retractable arm being what got her in the first place. She stared at in fear. 

Zack was the first to reach her, but he was easily brushed aside by the short robot thing. The others weren’t too far behind, and as soon as they reached her, Trini was scrambling back to her feet. She quickly hid herself behind Billy, afraid that the thing would try to grab her again. 

With her mind still reeling, Trini barely managed to process the next few things. She recall the robot saying something about five coins and colors and teens. Then something about its name being Alpha-5 and being some kind of android. And then, it told them to step onto the strange lighten up platforms around some colorful projection floating in the middle. 

Billy was the first to believe the robot, and Zack said to hell with it and did the same. Seeing as almost half of them had stepped onto the platforms without being blown up, Trini decided to follow through as well. To her, there seemed to be no other way out then doing whatever this Alpha-5 told them to do. 

She went around Billy, to the next available platform, one directly across from Kim, who she made eye contact with across the way. She was scared, and Kimberly looked scared as well. But when Kim nodded to her, Trini found the courage to take the step. 

She couldn’t help but blush when Alpha called them out for looking at one another. It could have easily been brushed off as a human thing, as Alpha claimed it to be, but it was more. If it were anyone else across from her, Trini didn’t think she would have done it.

Jason was the last to step up onto the panel, and as soon as he did, there was a rush of light and the shaking of the ship, knocking them all to their hands and knees. While they tried to right themselves, Alpha was shouting excitedly at the wall. There was some nonsense conversation going on between the android and the wall, which had to be some kind of alien language or something. 

While Alpha was distracted with talking of the pixelated face on the wall, they all made a mad dash for the door; however, their exit was cut off once the door shut on them again. 

The wall went on about something to do with Power Coins and Power Rangers, but Trini didn’t really care because she started to tune the conversation out. None of this made any sense to her. 

Billy was able to deduce everything from the sphere of light in the center of the room. And then there a conversation about a Zeo Crystal and the history of the Power Rangers. Honestly, Trini was lost, and she didn’t think any explanation would help her understand. 

They argued before the talking wall basically told them to shut up. Unexpectedly, they were all thrown up into the air.

The next thing Trini knew, she was thrown into the middle of Angel Grove. The streets were empty, and she standing right in the middle of a quiet town. Suddenly a woman in green with a glowing green staff appeared in front of her, getting ever closer, while frozen bodies popped up out of nowhere behind her. 

Once the woman was in her personal space, Trini felt like she was choking. She was petrified, cursed to stand in front of this terrifying woman who was literally pulling the air from her lungs.

In an attempt to get away from her, Trini willed her legs to move. She was stumbling backwards into the bodies, and each one she touched disintegrated into a pile of dust. Right when she thought things were about to get worse, Trini is brought back to reality and dropped to the floor.  

“Is that for real?” Kim asked, turning to Trini. 

“Felt like it,” Trini said, still catching her breath from the horrendous vision and the fall to the ground. 

Pixel Face then went on to mentioning Rita Repulsa and Goldar. Their goal to get the crystal which would give them the power to create and destroy worlds.

“So, let me guess, you want us to kill this woman. This, Rita?” Trini clarified. She was confused and appalled at the idea of having to kill someone. She was barely sixteen years old, and this talking wall wanted her to fight some lunatic. 

When Alpha said they would only have 11 days before Rita tried to destroy the world, Trini had had enough. 

“If we’re the Power Rangers and this is our ship, if I walked through that door right now will it open for me?” 

As soon as the talking wall said yes, Trini turned towards Kim and told her it was time to go. She didn’t even give a second glance to the others.

They all reconvened, under the floating pool, sans Jason. 

“Anyone know how we get out of here?” Zack wondered. 

When no one came forward with any ideas, they found seats on the rocks around them. Eventually boy wonder came back. 

“You all waited. Even you,” the last part of the ex-footballer’s statement directed right at her. “Who exactly are you?” Of course he didn’t know her, she didn’t really expect anything less. 

Trini scoffed. “Really? Now you’re going to ask me who I am”

“Listen, her name’s Didi.”

“Trini,” she corrected. Not knowing her was one thing. But the way, Zack confidently threw the name out, annoyed her. She didn’t really expect them to know who she was, but to pretend they did know her was something else. 

“She’s new in school. Transferred in a month ago. We have English together, right?” Kimberly piped up.

Trini had to roll her eyes at how hard Kimberly was trying to pretend she didn’t already know her in front of the guys. It was obvious how much Kimberly still cared about what others thought. And clearly, Trini still didn’t make the cut of being important enough, which Trini wouldn’t admit hurt her more than she wanted it to. 

“I’ve been at Angel Grove for over a year now. We have biology together. Good talk.” Trini snapped back, shoving the rest of her stuff back into her backpack. 

The only thing she wanted right now was to be back home where she could wanted pretend that none of this was real. Spaceships? Aliens? Power Rangers? All of this was something straight from her brothers’ imagination. It couldn’t be real. 

“Wait look. Okay, none of us really know each other. But somehow we were all at the same place at the same time when Billy found those coins,” Jason started to say.

“Hold on wait, wait,” Billy interrupted. “Can I ask a question? Are we really superheroes? Like are we more like Iron Man or Spiderman because I feel like I’ve been bit by a spider but I feel really good.”

“Look, bro. Trust me. You’re not a superhero,” Zack broke the news, resting what was supposed to be a comforting arm on Billy’s arm.

“Why are you talking to us like you’re the boss now?” Trini demanded, her hands in her pocket, wondering what kind of shit the former star quarterback was about the spew out. 

“Wait, hold up. Can any of this Rita stuff be real? Can any of it be true?” Kim intervened, trying to stop a fight from starting. 

“I don’t know,” Jason admitted, “but I know that the answer to what’s wrong with us and what’s happening to us is here. 

“So what are you saying,” Kim asked.

“I think we gotta come back. I can’t make you come back here, but four o’clock tomorrow, I’ll be here,” Jason stated. He stepped right under the pool, jumping through it, consequently splashing Billy with the water. 

They all berated themselves for not thinking about jumping through themselves. Then, Zack and Billy quickly followed Jason out, leaving the two girls alone. 

Just as Trini was prepared to jump through the water and make her way back home, she was stopped by the calling of her name. 

“Trini?”

“What, Kim?” the short Latina snapped. “Did you want to see my English notes? I’m not sure how much they’ll help considering we have different teachers.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You know, you’ve been saying that a lot lately. I’m starting to wonder if you even know what those words mean.”

“I...I don’t know what else to say,” Kim admitted. 

“Listen, if you want to pretend that we never knew each other before all this, then fine. I can do that. But if you that’s what you want, then you need to commit. We don’t know each other, and I don’t see a reason we need to.”

“That’s not what I want.”

Trini scoffed, she had a hard time believing that because of what just happened minutes before with the guys. “Then what do you want, Princess? I’m all ears.”

“I’m not a princess!” Kim shouted, finding the term insulting. 

Trini turned to Kim, arms crossed over her body, humorless smirk on her face. “Uh, sorry to burst your bubble, but yeah you are.”

“How can you even say that?”

“High school royalty. Head cheerleader to be exact. Daddy's little girl. Mommy's perfect angel. You do whatever you want and you don’t care about the consequences,” Trini explained, not even batting an eye. 

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

“I know what now? 

“I’m not even a cheerleader anymore.”

The short Latina was a little shocked at the information. Sure, she punched Ty Fleming’s tooth out, but Trini didn’t know it got Kim kicked off the team. She quickly recovered from the new information, returning to her sarcastic and uncaring tone.

“Wow, I guess that makes you a regular person, now. Let me be the first to introduce to you the real world.”

“Okay, cut the shit, Trini,” Kim demaded, getting real tired of how Trini was acting. “That’s enough. I’m trying to be serious here.”

Backing off, Trini waved her hand to the ground in front of her, “The floor is all yours.”

“You can’t run from this.”

“Excuse me?” Trini shook her head. She had no idea what Kim was thinking by telling her what to do. 

“I know you’re thinking about running from this,” Kim’s hand came up to stop Trini from interrupting. “I’m not talking about us. You’re thinking about running from these,” Kim stated, pulling her coin out of her pocket. 

“And you’re not?”

“I never said that,” Kim said, thinking back to when Jason had asked her to run away the other day. “I just think this is serious. This Rita chick could destroy Angel Grove or maybe the whole world if Zordon is right about her.”

“You’re going to listen to Pixel Face?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know, maybe. I just keep thinking that what if all this is real. The whole Power Rangers, Rita, the Zeo Crystal. If it is, then we have to be here. It’s our duty to save everyone.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but I’m no superhero. I can call Wonder Woman for you, though. She’s probably better suited for this.”

“Trini, seriously.”

The shorter girl threw her hands in the air, exasperated. At first she was lashing out because she was still angry at Kim, but now the older girl was asking the impossible from her. Power Rangers can’t be real. They couldn’t be superheros. 

“I don’t know what you want from me, Kim. I’m not built to save the world.”

“But we need you.”

“Need me?” Trini scoffed at the claim. She secretly wished Kim was the one who needed her, but that wasn’t going to happen. “Those guys don’t even know me. I didn’t exist to them before this. Didi? Come on, now. They don’t need me.”

“We do,” Kim stated with some new found confidence. “Look at us. Three of us have to sit in a classroom on Saturdays because we did something stupid. Another barely even shows up to school and goes around doing who knows what. I’m not saying we’re complete bad guys, but you’re one of the good ones, Trini. We can’t do this without you.”

“Going to school and not getting detention doesn’t exactly mean that you’re a good person. It just means you know how to stay out trouble. And all of this spells trouble.”

“Fair enough, but I know you. You like helping people when you can. Especially when they don’t know you’re the one helping them because you don’t like the attention.”

While mostly true, Trini wasn’t about to give Kim the satisfaction of knowing she hit the nail on the head. So instead, she denied the claim. 

“You don’t know me.”

Kim sighed in defeat. The conversation was just going to go in circles and with each round, Kim felt less and less confident that she could convince Trini to really consider this. 

“Just think about it, please,” Kimberly pleaded before jumping through the water. 

Once she was left alone, Trini huffed in frustration, kicking a rock into the wall. 

_ Fuck! What am I supposed to do? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to come talk to me on tumblr @sittingherealone


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took way longer than I expected it to. Had some struggle writing this chapter and then school getting in the way and stuff. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. Not much trimberly in this chapter, but a lot of set up and development for the way I want to take this story. PS: so the timeline in the movie might be a little different from how I write it from here on out, and by that I mean like day to day, just a heads up.

After jumping through the pool of water, Trini had to trudge home in her wet clothes, her backpack heavy on her shoulder from the excess water. The extra pound or so weighing down her body and her mood. She huffed as she readjusted the straps to momentarily relieve the strain on her shoulders.

Her mind was still replaying the events of today in her mind. When she left her house this morning, all she was planning to do was give back the coin so she could go back to her unassuming life. She didn’t expect to be chased up a mountain and over a cliff. She never would have imagined, Kimberly Hart dragging her over said cliff into what turned out to be an entrance to an ancient spaceship filled with a robot and a talking wall. 

Trini was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn’t even mind all the odd glances she was getting from other townspeople. She wished she could say that she didn’t give a damn that they were talking about the puddles she was leaving behind and the squishing sound coming from her shoes, but she actually hated it. Out of habit, she went to pull her beanie lower, but her hand was met with damp hair.

“Stupid Kim,” Trini mumbled as she remembered that she had lost the beanie after being dragged over the side of a mountain. 

In hindsight, she probably should have accepted Kimberly’s offer for a ride home. It definitely would have saved her a lot of trouble and a lot of uncomfortable stares, but she wasn’t ready to be trapped in a car with Kim yet. Especially after their conversation below the pool.

She was angry she didn’t have her phone and headphones to play music, but hopefully Billy would be able to help her out with that. He had offered to take everyone’s phone and see if he could do anything about the water damage. She was a bit apprehensive to give her phone to the boy, considering she hardly knew him, but she realized it was Billy Cranston. The boy would be nothing but a gentleman and try to fix the phone without any prying. 

After what felt like a lifetime, Trini finally made it to her house. She did her best to wring out any excess water from her clothes. She knew her mother would not approve of water drops all over her nice hardwood floors. 

When she walked in, she saw her brothers in front of the TV watching some movie. As soon as they recognized their sister, they waved her over to the living room so she could watch with them, completely ignoring the fact that Trini’s clothes still were damp. Trini reminded herself not to sit on the couch and ruin the leather, choosing to instead stand off to the side rather awkwardly. 

“Mom! Trini’s home!” Alex shouted, as Danny started to fill Trini in on how they had won their game earlier 2-1, with him scoring the game-winning goal. Trini gave him a genuine smile and held out her hand, which Danny eagerly slapped for an enthusiastic high five. 

A few moments later, June walked out from the kitchen and fixed Trini with a stern glare. “Where were you? And why are you all wet?”

“A broken sprinkler shot at me on the way home,” Trini made up, rolling her eyes out of habit. June didn’t look convinced, but it wasn’t like she could do much about it. 

“Okay. Boys go set the table. And Trini, go get cleaned up. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Trini ruffled the hair on Danny’s head before they all split to do what their mother had ordered. Eager to get away from her mother, Trini sprinted up the stairs to her room. She slammed the door closed as soon as she was inside, pulling up the physical barrier between her and everyone else. 

In the safety of her room, she was able to breathe normally. No people watching her. No crazy alien stuff. No ex-girlfriends. And no overbearing mother. With her back to the door, Trini slid to the floor, fishing out the yellow coin from her pocket. 

She wanted nothing more than to chuck it across the room, but with this newfound strength she was almost certain she’d make a dent in the wall or something. Instead she marveled at its uniqueness. Something that had given her these powers fitting in the palm of her hand. It was unheard of, borderline unbelievable. 

Knowing that her mother would probably come check on her if she wasn’t at the table soon, Trini stashed the coin under her pillow and quickly grabbed her towel, prepared to take a much needed shower.

...

Trini was barely in her seat before her mother was hounding her with questions. 

“So where were you today? Were you with friends? Do you have any friends? Why are you so tired -” And the interrogation began. 

Luckily for Trini, her dad stepped in before she could say something stupid. And with the day she had, Trini wasn’t sure what would slip out of her mouth. She just wanted the day to be over so she could crawl into bed and pull the covers over herself. 

“See this is the problem,” David said, cutting his wife off mid-sentence, “when you ask her four questions before she’s even answered the first.”

June had turned to husband, a little peeved at the lack of support, “Because she’s like a ghost around here. She needs to start communicating. Say something.”

“June.”

“Speak!” the woman demanded, slamming her hands on the table, effectively startling the boys across from her. 

Trini threw the banana she had grabbed on her way to her seat onto the table. Her parents were great at talking like she wasn’t even in the room. And now with her mother worked up, Trini knew things were about to go south, which normally wiped away any appetite she had, just like it did right now. When her mother turned to her with a glare, Trini had to fight the urge to roll her eyes and make a face.

“Okay, Trini. Let’s start over,” David started in an attempt to diffuse the situation, he folded his hands in front of him like he would when talking to an employee at work. All it did was remind Trini how far her father had drifted from his children.

Trini put on a smile, somewhere halfway between a fake smile designed to fit the situation and a genuine smile just for her father. Despite him being home less often and spending little time with her compared to when she was younger, Trini still loved and respected her father. He wasn’t perfect but he did try to quell any tension between her and her mother as often as he could. And that was not an easy task for anyone.

“Please tell us one thing you did today.”

Her brothers looked at her curiously, her mother expectantly, and her father patiently. 

Without really thinking, Trini blurted out the first thing to come to her mind, “Me and four kids from Angel Grove found a spaceship underground.” 

“What?” June demanded. Meanwhile Danny was staring wide-eyed, mouth open and Alex just continued eating. 

“I’m pretty sure I’m a superhero.” When she realized what she was saying, she turned to her mother in challenge, wishing for the woman to say something that would set her off enough to be able to excuse herself from the table. 

June looked to David to see if Trini was joking, but even he looked at a loss of what to say. When June turned her attention back to Trini, David shook his head and focused on his meal. Trini could tell that her dad had given up because honestly, what could he even say to that. 

Her brothers on the other hand, looked to one another and mumbled “Cool.”

June shot up from her chair, strutted over to Trini, and slammed a medical cup on the table. “Pee in that cup!” she demanded. 

Trini’s face scrunched up, looking at June as if she had grown a second head. Her eyes quickly turned to daggers directed straight at her mother for having the audacity to imply she was on drugs or something. 

It was unbelievable. She looked to her father for help, but again, he didn’t know what to do. He was just as shocked as the rest of the table. 

“Are you kidding me?” Trini demanded, standing up so she had her mother were eye to eye.

David buried his face in his hands. All he wanted was a nice dinner with his family. After rubbing his temples to scare away the onset of a headache, he tried again to keep everyone calm. “Okay, girls. Let’s just settle down. Trini, please, sit down. And June put that thing away.”

“No,” June said to David, “If she’s on something, we need to know, so we can fix it.” 

Trini scoffed. “I’m not on drugs,” she stated through grit teeth, flinging the cup across the room, unintentionally knocking over one of the picture frames. .

“Trini!” David scolded, partially in disbelief at his daughter’s attitude. 

At this point the boys were a little frightened. This argument was escalating by the second and there was nothing they could do but sit back as all of this unfolded in front of them. 

“This is stupid!” Trini shouted, staring her mother in the eyes, unafraid and unwilling to back down. 

“It’s not stupid! There is something wrong with you!” June argued, unknowingly hitting Trini where it hurt. 

Trini’s face started to twitch as she felt herself fighting back tears. Angry tears. She swallowed hard as her mom went on and on about how she doesn’t talk or have friends. She kept clenching and unclenching her fists as she listened her mom list what these things that she wasn’t doing right. Her will was fading as she felt the burn of the tears welling in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall, but she refused to cry in front of her mother. 

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Trini whispered brokenly, her words barely audible before she took off up the stairs.

She heard her father calling her to come back but she really didn’t care. 

...

A few hours later, there was a quiet knock at her door. Reluctantly, Trini threw the covers off her body and rolled off her bed to answer it. She was relieved to find her brothers on the other side, and internally screaming with glee when she noticed the plate in Danny’s hand. Once she had calmed down about a half hour ago, her stomach started to growl, reminding her that she hadn’t really eaten much all day. But she also was not willing to venture to the kitchen for food, fearful of running into her mother at some point.

“Papi said we could bring food for you to eat,” Danny stated, handing Trini the plate of that night’s dinner. 

“Thanks, guys,” Trini took the plate with one hand and opened the door wider with the other, allowing her brothers into her room. The two of them raced over and jumped on Trini’s bed, looking for the best spot to lie down. 

They were quieter than they usually were, and it kind of worried Trini. They would usually be talking her ear off. She wasn’t sure if what had happened earlier had scared them, and if it had, she would be feeling pretty guilty. She had lost her temper, something that didn’t happen often, so she could only assume how her brothers felt at seeing that side of her. 

She wasn’t really sure how to bring up the topic either, so instead she just took a seat at her desk and started to digging into her food. A few quiet bites later, Trini looked over to the boys and noticed they were just watching her. 

“What?”

After a few long beats of silence, Danny finally asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Trini grumbled, shoveling a few more bits of rice into her mouth. Luckily for her she didn’t have to bring the fight up, but now that the boys have, she had no idea what she was going to say. What was she even supposed to say?

“Are you sure? Papi said that if a girl says they’re fine, they really mean they’re not,” Alex interjected. “You were yelling at mom and it was kinda scary.”

_ Were they scared of me?  _ Trini thought as she slowly chewed through the food in her mouth. The idea didn’t sit well with her, causing her stomach to turn in knots as she imagined her brothers being afraid of her. 

Despite how closed off she may be with her mother and sometimes her father, Trini connected well with her brothers. They annoyed her to no end most days, but at the end of the day she would do whatever it took to put a smile on their face. She had seen too many frowns on their faces and too many tears fall from their eyes because of the endless packing and leaving. 

The constant moving was always harder on the boys than it was for Trini. They were just so energetic and easily liked that they had no problem making friends at each school they started at. They would leave the house on the first day of school with no friends and come back at the end of the day with stories of 50 friends. 

The only downside to having so many friends was that the boys had that many more people they had to say goodbye to. 

The first time they moved was the hardest. Danny didn’t care if people called him a baby for crying, he bawled his eyes out as he begged their father not to make them move. Alex had to wrap his arm around his little brother’s shoulder and pick him off the floor of their Chicago home, leading him up the stairs and into their older sister’s room. 

When she saw Danny crying, her heart broke. Danny was always the more emotional one of the three of them. Maybe it was being the baby of the family, or maybe it was just who he was. But twelve-year-old Trini didn’t care as she did her best to soothe her baby brother. 

Because of the moves, Trini had become extremely protective of her brothers, part of the reason they got along so well now. Sure they fought like other siblings did, but Trini looked out for them the best she could. 

She was also pretty sure that her brothers noticed her lack of friends and did their best to be her best friend at home. 

“I’m okay. I promise,” Trini gave them both a genuine smile, expressing her gratitude of their concern for her. 

The boys nodded their heads in acknowledgement as Trini went back to digging into her food. Midway through her meal, Trini started to get thirsty. She searched for her backpack, picking it up and digging through it for her water bottle. It didn’t take her long to remember it as another item she lost during her descent into the cavern.  _ Fucking Kim. _

Luckily, she spotted a half empty water bottle sitting on her bedside table, which meant she wouldn’t have to sneak downstairs for something to drink. 

“Hey, Alex,” her brother looked up at her curiously, “could you toss me that water?”

He rolled his eyes before leaning back and reaching for the bottle. He threw it to Trini before turning back to his brother and continuing with their conversation. 

After taking a sip of her water, Trini turned back to her brothers. They looked like they were getting into some sort of debate. Briefly she wondered why they didn’t just go fight in their own room, but she didn’t care enough to kick them out of her room. She was about to go back to eating when the heard a slapping sound. Trini returned her attention to her brothers to find them exchanging heated glares and backhanded slaps to each other’s arms. 

“What’s going on?” She asked them, another spoon of rice making its way to her mouth as the boys continued to fight. They stopped at the sound of her voice, but neither brave enough to speak up. “Come on. One of you spit it out.”

“Is it true?” Alex whispered, punching his younger brother in the arm for chickening out and not asking. 

Trini was confused, “Is what true?”

“Are you really a superhero, T?” Danny asked, crawling to the corner of the bed closest to where his sister was sitting. 

The girl let out a long sigh. She really didn’t want to lie to them. It would be such a weight off her chest to actually tell someone about this. To be able to talk about this, even if her brothers were years younger and might not fully understand what Trini was going through. And as embarrassing as it might be, her brothers were probably her closest confidants right now. However, if it was true that she was a superhero and all those superhero movies about having a secret identity had a point, then maybe it was best to keep them in the dark about this. 

“Sorry, dude. But no, I’m not really a superhero,” Trini admitted. 

The boys deflated, slightly disappointed, which in turn bummed Trini out a bit. They had looked so excited, and Trini hated to see them sad.

A knock and the opening of the door startled the trio.

“Boys, time for bed,” David said, offering his daughter an apologetic smile from his spot by the door. “Say goodnight to your sister.”

Danny was up first, walking over to Trini and giving her a one-armed hug. Before leaving, he dug into his pocket and placed a pink Starburst next to his sister’s dinner plate, “Night, T.” 

“I think you would be a really cool superhero,” Alex said, following his baby brother’s lead. 

Trini was touched by the comment. She watched as her two brothers pushed each other back and forth as they raced back to their room. There was a fond smile on her face as her brothers disappeared from view.

Surprisingly, David did not follow the boys out. 

“Everything alright?” David whispered, walking across the room to his daughter, a decent amount of space sitting between them. His approach was careful as if he was scared of setting her off again. She didn’t blame him. 

“I guess.”

There was an awkward moment of silence as neither really knew what to say in this situation. Trini watched as her feet swung back and forth in front of her, while David rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. 

Eventually, David plucked up enough courage to speak first, “I’m sorry about your mother. That was way out of line for her.”

“It’s okay,” Trini whispered unconvincingly.  

David shook his head, something Trini failed to notice since she had yet to look at her father since he entered the room, “It’s not okay. She and I had a long talk about that. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay.”

“She just worries about you,” David tried explaining, not completely defending his wife, but also not dismissing the woman’s concerns. 

“I know.”

Another bout of silence fell upon them, and Trini shifted in her seat as she tried to will this awkwardness with her father away. She hated this distance between them, a necessary distance that formed and grew each time they moved. 

Before, she and her dad had that special bond between father and daughter. She wasn’t daddy’s little princess, far from it actually. But they spent time playing and laughing together, special time every week set aside for just the two of them. It could be just sitting in the living room watching the newest episode of their favorite shows or the twenty minute drives to Trini’s martial arts classes, where they could sit and argue which was better, Marvel or DC.

Things slowly started to change when they moved. There was just less time for them to hang out, especially with the boys growing older. It really went south when June became extremely overbearing, wanting middle-school Trini to be more like other girls. It led to Trini pulling away and isolating herself to avoid any sort of confrontations. And between work, the boys, and handling his wife, David had less energy to reach out to his oldest. 

Trini wasn’t expecting things to go back to how they were when she was younger, but she was also hoping they wouldn’t get any worse.  

“I’m not on drugs or anything, you know,” Trini blurted out. 

“I know,” David said, resting his hand carefully on his daughter’s shoulder, pulling her attention to him. “I didn’t think you were.”

After some contemplating, Trini laid one hand on top of the one her father had on her shoulder, a sign that things will be okay between them. She gave him a tight-lipped smile, which he returned with a relieved one. 

“Listen, I know you’re too old for a bedtime, but why don’t you get some sleep? You look exhausted.” 

It wasn’t until David mentioned it that Trini realized how drained she really was. She wasn’t sure if it was from today’s events at the mines or if it was due to her fight with her mother. Either way, she felt her body screaming at her to lie down and shut down for a few hours.

“Okay,” Trini stood up from her seat, ready to clean up, but her dad beat her to it. 

“Let me take that for you,” David reached for the now empty plate, “Goodnight, Trini.” Hesitantly, the man bent over to press a soft kiss to the top of Trini’s head. 

“Dad,” Trini called out, stopping David before he left. “I’m sorry.”

While she wasn’t really sorry for snapping at her mother after the woman had pulled that stunt, what happened today was definitely not her finest moment. She usually flew under the radar, able to get by day by day undetected, but today she was a ticking time bomb that blew before anyone could defuse it. It wasn’t like her. 

“I know, Trini,” David smiled gently at his oldest. “Sleep tight.”

“Night, Dad,” Trini offered as her father left, closing the door behind him. 

The lack of energy and the need for sleep overpowered Trini’s thought to change into more comfortable clothing. She climbed into bed in her shirt and jeans, barely managing to slip her jacket off before letting her head fall onto her pillow. And just like that, she was out. 

…

The next morning, Trini woke, feeling a lot better than the night before. She laid there motionless, her eyes fixed on her ceiling as if there was an uncoded message waiting to be discovered. 

Instinctively, she reached for her phone to check the time, but quickly realized that the device was still with Billy. She cursed quietly before getting out of bed. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. 

After quickly doing her hair, Trini went back to her room to grab her jacket and a few dollars. She decided not to bring her backpack this time, which meant she had everything she needed. Once she was sure there was nothing else, Trini went downstairs and headed straight for the door, not even bothering to tell her parents where she was going. 

But of course, her mom would catch her just as she leaving.

“Where are you going?”

“Out,” Trini simply answered, slipping out of the front door without another word. 

Trini made her way into town, deciding that she deserves a bit of a treat after the all the craziness of the day before, so she stopped by Krispy Kreme. She bought a doughnut to go, also discovering that she had slept in pretty late, seeing as it was almost one in the afternoon. 

Without anything else to do, she decided to head back to the mines, back to her little sanctuary. When she got there, she skipped her normal stretches and instead sat on the rock, staring out at the world in front of her. 

She looked over her shoulder to the old train and barely made out a dot she assumed to be Zack. She figured he was out here deciding if he should show up or not. 

Trini couldn’t believe that she was actually considering all this Rita nonsense. Logically, it made no sense, none of it did. But a small part in the back of her mind had Trini fearing that everything that they were told was true. And if it was true, she felt obligated to do her part, to help save the world, or at the very least protect this town. 

As she weighed the pros and cons of the situation placed before her, she found herself watching the clouds float in the sky above. A part of her was looking for a sign, any sort of sign of why she should do this. The list she made her mind made it clear that there were way more cons than pros posed by this predicament, but there were strong pros making her choice difficult. 

One pro stood out in her mind clearer than any other, and in the end it was the deciding factor in the decision. With her mind made up, Trini chose to spend the time left of free, peaceful life watching the clouds and coming up with stories for the shapes the white puffs made. 

What she guessed was a few hours later, a small pebble skipped across the patch about five feet to the right of her. Trini twisted around to where the rock came from, spotting Zack pointing in the direction of the quarry.

Trini threw her hand up in acknowledgement, taking her time to stand and walking as slowly as she could to where she was supposed to be meeting the other teenagers dumb enough to go through with this whole mess. 

As she hiked up, she noticed the others in front of her, but she didn’t call out to them, wanting the last few precious minutes alone before she dived head first into some alien phenomena she couldn’t even comprehend. 

When she made it to the top, she joined the others in their semi-huddle. She kept her head down low and refused to make any eye contact with Kim. Her mind was still reeling with everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours, she was even nice enough to greet Zack. 

They all made their way back to the cliff, the boys more than happy to go first. Trini was prepared to jump herself, not wanting to give Kim another reason to pull her down a mountain again. But a second before she took the plunge, Kim called out to her.

“So what changed your mind?”

“My brothers,” Trini answered, jumping over the edge before Kimberly could ask or say anything else. 

...

“You need to follow the three rules of being a Power Ranger: you must never use your powers for personal gain, you must never escalate a fight unless your enemy forces you to, and you must never reveal your identity ever,” Zordon explained. 

_ Whoops. Does it count if they don’t believe you? _

Pixel Face, or Zordon as he demanded to be called, then went on to tell them they needed to morph to assume their powers. Alpha then directed them to step up to the footprints. They got back on the same platforms they had stood on the day before. For some reason, as if it were deja vu, Trini looked across from her and was surprised to see Kim looking right back. Embarrassed by the eye contact, Trini quickly turned away. 

Zordon explained how they needed to connect to the morphing grid as a team, that morphing would bring out armor that they already had inside them. While Billy was super excited, undoubtedly the most of anyone, the others were much more skeptical. 

Armor was just supposed to pop out of thin air and onto her body, Trini wouldn’t believe it until she saw it. 

When Zoron mentioned they needed to connect to each other and the morphing grid, Trini was ready to bounce. There was no way a bunch of strangers were going to able to connect to one another. But she reminded herself why she was doing this, so she gave it a try.

She wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to be doing, but with all of them standing in the circle and talks about being a warrior and Power Rangers, she tried calling on this special armor. Trini just focused on searching inside herself, to where she thought these so-called powers would come from. 

Alpha was like their little cheerleader, and honestly Trini found it kinda endearing. 

They all tried channeling whatever mystical energy Zordon was telling them about but to no avail. The morphing grid went dim and them were plunged into darkness, the soft glow of the inner circle and Zordon’s face casting just enough light for them to still see one another. 

Zordon seemed just as confused as they all were. He and Alpha had a little discussion about their inability to morph. Despite not being able to access their powers, Zordon believed they needed to prepare for the upcoming battle, thus he sent them down to the Pit. 

They were all hesitant to follow Alpha to the other part of the ship. The Pit didn’t sound like it was a good thing, and none of them, including Billy, were too excited to find out what it was.

The Pit, as it turned out, was just an empty expanse of rock and dirt. Trini didn’t see how coming to the Pit would help them in anyway, but then Zordon’s voice sounded out of nowhere like a guy on a PA system. 

Suddenly, the rocks around them started to vibrate and glow. They drifted towards each other to combine rock like monsters, unlike anything Trini had ever seen before. 

“These creatures before you are a simulation of Rita’s army. They’re called putties. You must get through them to get to her. 

“Relax, guys,” Zack said, dismissing the giant creatures in front of them, “it’s a hologram. Like a videogame.”

He then bravely, or foolishly, stepped closer to the rock monster, who immediately went into attack. The monster slammed its fist into Zack’s stomach, sending him flying across the pit and knocking him into the wall.”

“That’s a strong ass hologram,” Billy noted, examining the beast from head to toe. 

Trini couldn’t help but laugh when Zack got knocked by the rock “hologram”. 

“This is why you must morph into your armor. If Rita becomes strong enough to build her army, it will be the beginning of the end,” Zordon warned them, his voice drowning in an ominous tone. “Rangers, welcome to training.”

“I’m so excited you guys are back,” Alpha stated excitedly, or as excitedly as an android could be. “Let’s get training.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, there will be more trimberly in the next chapter. Let me know what you think of this chapter if you're still reading this


End file.
